Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs did their best superhero impersonations on the first touchdown in Sunday’s victory over the New York Jets.
It was an off-script, not-how-it’s-drawn-up play that gave the Buffalo Bills the lead for good.
Here’s a closer look at the plays that shaped the Bills’ AFC East division-clinching victory:
Highlight reel. The 10-yard touchdown pass from Allen to Diggs has to rank as one of the top five for both for the entire season.
Allen was forced to flee from the pocket early when Jets defensive end John Franklin-Myers got pressure with a wide rush against Bills right tackle Spencer Brown.
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Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams tried to drag Allen down as he escaped, but the QB shoved him to the ground with a stiff-arm move. Jets linebacker Quincy Williams chased Allen and caught the QB just 2 yards from the right sideline.
Quincy Williams wrapped both arms around Allen’s waist. As Allen was being hauled out of bounds, he leapt toward the sideline and had both feet off the ground when he unleashed a side-armed throw to the side of the end zone.
Diggs was running an over-the-middle route against Jets safety Elijah Riley, but broke to the sideline when he saw Allen scramble and snagged the ball out of the air.
“The toe tap skills, the hand strength, I mean, it's an unbelievable catch,” Allen said. “Just moving up in the pocket trying to extend the play and, again, we've known each other long enough and feel comfortable with each other where I'm rolling, I'm trying to find him and as well as some of our other guys. But you know, he's got a knack for getting open and catching the ball.”
“When you’ve got 14 and 17, you’ve always got a chance to make some kind of crazy, highlight, SportsCenter Top 10 plays,” tight end Dawson Knox said. “Those dudes are MVP caliber, and it’s fun having guys like that in the huddle.”
Big run. Devin Singletary broke off his second longest run of the season to set up the first TD. It was a 40-yarder off left tackle to the Jets’ 10-yard line.
The Bills’ offensive line did a great job of shoving the Jets’ entire defensive front to the right.
Backup offensive tackle Tommy Doyle actually was lined up at right tackle. Spencer Brown lined up outside of Dion Dawkins as an extra tackle on the left side. Fullback Reggie Gilliam was outside of Brown, creating a power formation to the left.
Dawkins and guard Ryan Bates double-teamed Quinnen Williams and shoved him way to the left. Brown pushed defensive end Kyle Phillips just as far to the right. That allowed Gilliam to take out middle linebacker C.J. Mosley.
Singletary followed that flowing mass of men and made a quick cut in the hole to avoid linebacker Quincy Williams. There was nobody else in his way as he sprinted down the right sideline.
“Anytime that Motor can run that ball, spring off, show his stuff, show his speed, it gives us nothing but positive energy,” Dawkins said. “And simply that, positive play.”
“That’s what you need,” coach Sean McDermott said. “That’s why it’s important to be two-dimensional, or the threat of two dimensions on offense, running and passing.”
Tight end weapon. Knox caught three passes to bring his season total to 49. He had 24 last season and 28 in 2021.
Knox’s big catch in the game helped shift the field position with the Bills struggling going into the wind in the third quarter. The Bills faced a third-and-5 situation from their own 30, clinging to a 13-10 lead. They had managed three points in their previous eight possessions.
Knox ran a corner route toward the left sideline and made an over-the-shoulder catch against cornerback Michael Carter for 28 yards. The Bills’ drive fizzled, but Matt Haack’s ensuing punt pinned the Jets down at their own 2. The Bills’ defense held and Buffalo scored on its next possession.
The Bills clinched their second consecutive AFC East championship and their first back-to-back division titles since the 1990 and ’91 seasons. It was the first time they clinched the division at home since 1995.
Allen beat a Jets blitz on the play with a perfect throw.
“It was a simple corner route,” Knox said. “It was an absolute dime from Josh. You’ve got no choice but to catch that thing. I was just watching it in awe, like ‘Oh my gosh, that’s funny.’ Thankfully he gave me a chance to go make a play. When he throws a ball like that, everybody’s got a chance to go make a play.”
Spin move. The Bills held the Jets to negative-3 yards on 13 plays in the third quarter and had three sacks.
Ed Oliver got one of them, and it was unusual because he was lined up as a defensive end, across from Jets right tackle Greg Senat.
Oliver set up Senat with an outside fake then made a spin move inside and took down Zach Wilson for a 10-yard loss. Senat was filling in for Morgan Moses, who went down with a knee injury.
“Obviously, they’re one of the best defenses in football,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “We just could not run the ball very well. It was tough sledding. Their front was dominant. Clearly, we’ve got a long way to go if we want to close the gap with Buffalo – and New England and Miami for that matter.”
Slant TD. The Jets’ lone touchdown came on a 40-yard pass from Wilson to Keelan Cole. It was a 7-yard slant route that Cole took to the end zone against slot cornerback Taron Johnson.
The Bills had a single safety deep (Micah Hyde), with man-to-man coverage underneath. Safety Jordan Poyer was in a “robber” role, roving in the underneath zone. Poyer saw the slant pass coming, broke on the ball and almost deflected it. But Wilson’s throw zipped into a tight window. Cole caught it on a dead sprint, and there was no way the other Bills defenders could make a play. Hyde was on the other side of the field, where two other Jets receivers were running routes.
